GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Looking to rebound from a disappointing day one of their second Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series of the season, the Colorado School of Mines softball team was back at it Sunday from the CMU Softball Field against league co-leader Colorado Mesa. Despite an explosive start to the day in game one, the Orediggers (5-9, 2-6) couldn't keep pace with the offensive output of the Mavericks (16-1, 8-0), being beaten by the long ball in both games falling 13-4 and 10-1 in a pair of run-rule shortened contests.
 
Sidney Wilson got the day started with a bang, lining a home run over the fence in left field for her first home run of the season to give Mines the early lead. Colorado Mesa punched back with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, also by way of a solo home run to draw back even.
 
In the second inning, Lexie Semeyn and Sara Larson walked and singled with one out to set the table for Cassidy Chvatal, who turned around the first pitch she over the fence in left center for her first big fly of the year as her three-run shot put the Orediggers back on top 4-1. The Mavericks answered back again in their half of the inning, as a pair of one-out doubles resulted in a run before a two-out, two-run homer to left resulted in the score drawing back even at 4-4.
 
Mines had a chance to answer back again in the third, getting a pair of baserunners in the inning but coming away empty. Looking to put up the first zero of the day, Sadriena Rodriguez (3-4) had to work around a pair of walks to get the first out of the inning, but saw her day end early following and RBI single to the next batter that put CMU ahead for the first time in the game before they broke things open, ending up with a total of five runs in the inning to lead 9-4.
 
After leaving a runner in the top of the fourth, Mines turned to Allison Westbrook as their third pitcher of the game to try and keep CMU off the board. The senior was able to do so although it was an unorthodox way about doing it a fielder's choice and a throwing error following a leadoff hit by pitch resulted in an 8-6-2 putout at home before a foul out to first and third saw the home team come up empty for the first time in the game.
 
Colorado Mesa continued to add on in the fifth inning, as three-straight hits resulted in a run and brought another call to the bullpen as Ellen Shull came on for second appearance of the season looking to get Mines out of a precarious situation with the game now teetering on the brink of ending in a run rule. Unfortunately, that's just what happened as the first batter the freshman faced posted the third Maverick home run of the game, sending a three-run shot over the fence in center to post a 13-4 win in the opener,
 
Game two started off with a much different tone than the opener, as both starting pitchers tossed up zeros for the first two and a half innings until Colorado Mesa launched their fourth home run of the day against Cassidy Chvatal (0-3), sending another three-run home run out to left field as they look the lead 3-0.
Looking to rally in the fourth, Kayleigh Krueger reached base with a one-out hit by pitch before moving into scoring position on a single by Sara Larson with two outs. Hannah Roberts worked a walk to load the bases for the Orediggers for the second time in the first four innings, but this time it resulted in a run as Chvatal helped her own cause she worked a walk to force home a run and make it a 3-1 game before CMU escaped what could have been a huge inning by getting a popup to shortstop.
 
The Mavericks answered back with yet another home run in their half of the frame, this time of the two-run variety as their lead moved back to 5-1. In the sixth, CMU kept it going at the plate, starting the inning off with a walk and back-to-back singles to force a Mines pitching change as Kat Miller took over in the circle and looked to work out of trouble. The sophomore right-handed looked to be on her way to getting Mines off the precipice of another run-rule loss, getting a lineout and a strikeout for the first two outs of the inning before issuing a walk to load the bases before the sixth home run of the day ended things early again, as a grand slam to left field resulted in a 10-1 loss in five innings.
 
NOTABLES
-Wilson's solo shot in the opener was her fourth career home run and first since March 20, 2022 against UCCS in Colorado Springs
-Chvatal's three-run home run in game one was the third home run of her Mines career and also her first since April 9, 2022 on the road against Colorado Christian
-Game one was the first multi-home run game for the Orediggers since a March 20 game two against the Mountain Lions on the 2022 season during which three home runs were hit
-Larson recorded a hit in each game of the doubleheader while Kellan Ton, Kailey Morales, Trystin Oshiro-Sano and Semeyn all found the hit column over the course of the afternoon
-The Orediggers have now hit five home runs in 14 games this season and are now just two shy of tying last season's mark of seven that they posted across a 51-game schedule
 
UP NEXT
Mines returns home to Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field to begin the new month when they host New Mexico Highlands in a four-game series March 2-3.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines softball on X at @MinesSoftball and on Instagram at @mines_sb. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, X and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.